Eric Greitens, a former Navy SEAL whose seven military awards include the Bronze Star, has become the first Jewish governor of Missouri.

Greitens, 42, a Republican, also is a former Rhodes scholar and the founder of The Mission Continues, a nonprofit that helps veterans integrate themselves back into their communities through volunteer work.

“Tonight, we did more than win an election; we restored power to the people and we took our state back!” Greitens told supporters at a hotel in Chesterfield, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

A former Democrat, Greitens positioned himself as a conservative who wasn’t a “career politician.” It was his first run for office. “I became a conservative because I believe that caring for people means more than just spending taxpayer money; it means delivering results,” he wrote in an opinion piece for Fox News in July 2015.

Greitens, a Purple Heart recipient, served in Iraq from 2003 to 2007. His fourth book, “Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life” — a collection of inspirational letters to a fellow Navy SEAL struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder — was published in March 2015.

One passage toward the end of his book “Resilience” discusses the importance of the Sabbath and quotes Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Just seven months ago my first child Joshua was born, and I think for a lot of people, when you have a child, it makes you think about your life. [My wife] Sheena and I try every weekend to observe the Sabbath. We’re not perfect at it, but we really try.

"Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant" (Psalm 86:16).